Fun-a-day 30: Blood draws

I'm afraid that the only contact with the medical lab that most people have, is to have their blood drawn for a test.  No one likes needles, including most med techs, and our phlebotomists, who do the majority of the hospital lab's blood draws.  But we do like talking to our patients, even if we do have to stick needles into them.

I hope I've showed you that there's so much more to the lab than a needle!  That said, the blood collection is a very critical part of a lab blood test.  If it's not collected properly, the results can be of no use to anyone, leading to a recollection, which we all hate to do.  Certain tests require the patient to fast, certain tests require other medication or diet restrictions.  Certainly proper labeling is critical and  proper hygiene is very important to protect both the patient and the person who draws the blood.

Safety is certainly another concern, as a stick with a dirty needle can at best cause a lot of worry, and at worst cause severe infections.  We med techs wear lab coats, gloves, wash hands, bleach, and sometimes protective eye wear to keep us safe, but sometimes even that doesn't protect from a broken glass test tube, or a needle.

This is my last quilt block for our fun-a-day project.  We're all going to get together Feb. 10th at the art center to see what everyone else has been working on!  I can't wait!  I hope to get all of the blocks sewn together and the quilt bound in the next few days.  I'll post pictures hopefully soon!  I hope you've had as much fun reading as I have sewing and sharing!